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I'd heard so many great things about Pomegranate that we I thought we were wise to arrive extra early for dinner one evening. While the restaurant was essentially empty when we entered, the friendly server very nicely asked whether we had made reservations and assured us that despite our not having done so, that we could have the table for an hour and a half.
Despite there being two daily specials (both featuring lamb) and a good assortment of dishes on the menu, we both ended up ordering the same thing: mushrooms in a rich ground walnut and pomegranate sauce served with fragrant rice, a refreshing cucumber salad, and mixed greens. I also opted for a side of decadently thick yogourt, which arrived as a heaping cupful, so one order could likely satisfactorily be shared between two.
Over the course of our meal, the warm and richly tapestried room filled up quickly with families, couples on dates, and small groups of friends. All of the happy chatter made for a lovely atmosphere to dine in. While we had been looking so very much forward to sharing the dessert of Persian rose ice cream with pistachios, we were both far too full by the end of the meal, but instead made note of it for next time.
Group of 6, it was hit and miss between the group.
First, the service was pretty poor, had to give the staff a serious talking to before they got into the game. Waiting with no water, waitress running around doing nothing between getting drinks, huge wait just to get there. After the talking to, they got down to business.
Those that ordered dishes with lamb enjoyed them, those that didn't like lamb and got the various stews thought they were way too sweet and not very good.
UYE Authentic Persian! The SEQUEL! Not really, it was just me and my buddy doing some chilling and catching up but I still reserved on a Tuesday night anyways since I'm not taking any chances.
Arrive around 7:00pm the place was half full with couples to a larger group of 6 or so. First thing I noticed was not the decor but my nose smelled of SPICE and I still can't identify it as the longer I stay there the more de-sensitized I became to it.
We were given table options and took the seat across from the DAYBED. It is a great setting here with a small fish pond to the crafts on the wall and the Persian lettering all around. I really appreciate whoever came up with the design here.
We began to chat and SCAN the Drink Menu first then the Food Menu afterwards. I took awhile for our server to come back to us just to get our Drink ordered. When my friend got his Pomegranate Juice and I got my Doogh 10-15 minutes after ordering, the server did an INSTEAD disappearing act before I can even say Morasa.
After that I knew this will be a longer meal than usual, but fortunately I had my Doogh and lots of catching up to do. The Doogh was salty as advertised and I'm not a fan but I'm A-OK with it, however my friend dislikes it.
Our server did come back if you were wondering, actually I'm sorry to say it was a different server this time and it was after trying to wave down a third server to take our order. That third server never did speak to us or even gave a smirk or smile, I want our ORIGINAL server back.
Moving on I got Morasa Polo, where our second server answered while we ordered is that Polo means the Rice portion of the meal. My friend had the acclaimed Baqali Polo.
The Morasa Polo($14.95)(jewelled rice - slivers of seville orange peel, almond and pistachio with diced carrots and barberries blended in saffron basmati rice served with a braised lamb shank) was flavourful and satisfying not in the supersize portion way.
The Jewelled Rice is worthy of being re-ordered again next time I visit. The Braised Lamb Shank was super TENDER so I have to wonder how long it took to braise something like that especially since this is Home-Style Persian food. The electricity bill in Persian per household must be SKYHIGH. Maybe a slow-cooker for 8 hours?!?
I gave the Polo of Baqali Polo a try but I think I will stick with the Polo of Morasa Polo. When the meal was done, the bill came pretty fast as my friend and I finally felt SETTLED in and ready to stay the night.
I will only deduct 0.5 *Stars* for the service this night. Pomegranate for the Decor/Food deserves 4 *Stars*. This brings their grand total to 3.5 *Stars*.
Listed in: Middle East Scoops
Bijan V, thank you for opening my mind to Persian Food. I am a fan.
The flavors bursting out of every dish are incredible. Everything tastes complex, rich, thoughtful, delicious! We ordered several appetizers, entrees, and desserts. This is an obvious pro to group dining, and I couldn't have imagined a better way to experience this food.
Service was on point, too, for such a big group as ours. They were extremely friendly and knowledgeable.
My favorite part of the meal was probably dessert. We ordered Persian tea. It was very good. Bijan even taught us the proper way to drink it -- with a half a sugar cube in your mouth instead of in the cup.
I would definitely go back.
My 300th reviews for my 2nd UYE event!
Thanks Bijan V for organizing this UYE. If not I would have never ever cross my mind to try out Persian food or even coming to Pomegranate Restaurant. And of course fellow yelpers that makes the evening enjoyable!
The Pomegranate Restaurant itself is small and cosy. I have to say the decoration is really exotic. I really like all those rich colours they used in everything. The blue ceiling, the colourful tables, the textiles used, the plates that decorated the walls! (good for interesting, colourful photos!!)
It was really nice to have enough people so we can share the dishes! As I always have lunch alone and ended up it will take me a couple of times before I can tried out all the different dishes in a restaurant, but with all these dinnermates, I got to have a taste of everything!
Since I was not the one that ordering I don't really know which is which item in the menu.
For starter, there are 3 spreads with the bread. I really love the bread. It is freshly baked! I am eating the spreads because of the bread!
There is also this greeny moldy looking yogurt drink that has mint and rose petal water. It is salty tasting with an acquired taste. Some complains it tasted like toothpaste. However, I find it goes really well with the lamb dishes, it naturalized the "lamb" taste and the other strong herbal tastes in the meat dishes.
For 4 main entrees we shared, 2 of them are stews (chicken and lamb) and 2 of them are lamb shanks. They all comes with salad and rice. I do enjoy the taste of the stews, the favour is really complex... with all those spices and herbs. The lamb shanks though are really tender and juicy and cook to perfection.
Even as a non lamb eater, to my surprise even I enjoyed the lamb dishes!
For desserts, we have the persian tea... which go well with the super sweet desserts!
The services is nice and friendly. Though we cannot stay longer to relax because our table is needed for another group of later dinners.
The day bed at the back of the restaurant seems like a really relaxing neat place to have some finger food and a drink or 2 with friends!
I have to say that the Persian spices and herbs does need to be get used to! I was burping the whole night! :) or was it from the cabornated green drink that I drank almost half a pitcher?
BURP! BURP! BURP!
Listed in: Non Asian Restaurants That I…
Fantastic.
Great veggie options (four of us ordered different things and shared), super cool people, and fairly inexpensive.
Would eat there again in a heartbeat.
TASTY! A small cozy place with beautiful persian decor. I almost always ordered the moraso polo, jewelled basmati rice with braised lamb shank. My favorite dish! But, special of the day always sound so good! For appertizer, zeitoon, an olive paste with lot of garlic, and, dolmeh, stuffed vine leaves, are just delightful! All dishes are fairly price. They are always busy, so, I always call ahead.
Remember when you saw that Monet painting up close and you realized that it's just made out of little dots of paint? And then you took a few steps back and saw how wonderful it really was. Eating here is a bit like that.
This place offers a nice range of stews and spreads of various blends served with rice and breads. The menu deliberately avoids items that require a lot of last minute prepping or plating. Whatever you order, you think to yourself, hmm, I could make that. However, as you eat, you uncover further layers of flavour. Your initial guesses at the combinations are thrown out and eventually you just stop guessing.
Making these recipes seems simple enough for anyone with a blender and a slow cooker. But getting all the subtlies in place could take a life time.
Amazing! I had braised lamb that was so good it just fell off the bone -- seriously, I ate it with a fork and spoon + beautiful Persian rice with orange peel, pomagrante and piatachios. Special food, great atmosphere.
Thanks to the reviews here, we decided to try this place when we came into Toronto.
We were looking particularly for a Middle-eastern place where the three of us could comfortably sit and converse over dinner. I say this because my spouse and I (as well as the friend we were with) are all partial to good food first/good dining second, but we wanted a more relaxing atmosphere than some of the excellent-food-but-the-folding-chairs-are-hard places we are happy to patronize when we're taking food home.
Pomegranate is a cozy restaurant which welcomes you in under traditional tile work lintels and an interior that has just enough Persian touches to set a tone without going overboard.
We came in early-ish for dinner (around 6:30), but the place was already filling up and we did promise to be out by 8:00, when reservations would take over our table. I was pleased at the beer and wine selection, which seemed thoughtfully selected for flavor and variety.
Then there was the food. It was delicious. The offerings were interesting and stayed away from the "meat on a stick" variety. The kashk-e bademjaan, a charred eggplant, was rich and smoky, filling your mouth with a wonderful blend of flavor. The babari bread was hearty enough to hold the appetizer, without taking over the taste.
I had the aloo gheysi, a wonderful chicken saffron stew with plums and apricots, while my friend had a special that evening, a lamb stew and eggplant with beet. Our meals arrived nicely plated, the stews in a bowl on the plate next to a really nice saffron-tipped pilau. Each of us had a slice of the crunchy bits from the bottom.
The chicken was marvelous. Tender chunks of meat in a rich whey-saffron sauce, the dried apricots and bokharan plums adding tart and sweet to the palate (be warned - the plums are not pitted).
The lamb was equally delicious, but coming from a different end of the taste buds. Aromatic, with a strong (but pleasant) taste of lamb countered by the smokiness of the eggplant, its flavors complemented the tart-sweet of the chicken.
I would definitely return to this restaurant, and work my way through the menu.
Time: 8pm-ish Dec 23rd, made reservations but did not need them- effing freezing weather outside
Ambiance: SO CUTE, persian poetry border on the walls, ethnic-y table cloths, little candles, very warm and cozy
Service: Waiters a bit inattentive, took forever to get the cheque
Food:
Starter: Shared Eggplant with tomato-y stuff and flatbread- a little oily but AMAZING!
Entree: got lamb morasa polo, so tender falling off bone, but a little bland, saffron rice with orange peel, pomegrates, nuts were yummy
Dessert: shared mixed sweet platter dessert- lacy dough in rosewater (i did not enjoy), pistachio and sweet stuff was kind of like peanut brittle, chickpea cookies were melt in my mouth powdery goodness
I want to come here again and try other things!!!
When you take your 86 year old aunt out for dinner, there's a lot to consider - parking, ambience, aural sensations, spiciness, patience of waitstaff to name a few. My aunt said she was ok with anything but we know that is senior code for don't make a fuss but know that I am discerning and impatient so Dont Screw It Up Andre! At Pomegranate all worked out with the exception of parking nut hey it's College Street, what do you expect. I dropped her off at the door and returned to find her chatting with our most pleasant, patient and lovely server. They took my coat and hat - thank you, nice touch. She explained the menu carefully, answered our questions, and was very patient. We admired the artwork and wall hangings. The decor is to be experienced. I will not do it disservice by trying to explain it. Go. The food-hot, fresh, delicious. We already were warned by the server what was too spicy. Our food was perfect. And a sizable portion. My aunt Mae was swooning and would certainly tell all the cute little blue hairs back at the seniors home what a mice boy Andre is and how he continues to impress with outstanding restaurant selections. Thanks Pomegranate foraking a wonderful night for us.
Went here with some friends and one of whom is Persian. The place was small some say cozy but I dont really go to a restaurant for the decor.
We got 2 appetizers the first was maast-o khiar which consists of yogurt, walnut, raisins and rose petals. I didn't really like because I am not a big yogurt fan but my friends liked it. The second appetizer was kashk-e bademjaan which is charred eggplant, persian whey, garlic and walnuts topped with crispy onion. I liked this one thought it did taste some what similar to bhabha ghanouj and an indian appetizer called aloo bangan. Both appetizers came with the light and fluffy babari bread which is the tradional persian bread.
The entree that I got was called fesenjaan chicken (a smooth rich stew of ground walnut and pomegranate syrup served beside a plate of saffron basmati rice). The dish reminded me of some type of indian dish due to the fact that the sauce was very thick and oily. Nonetheless it was very tasty the pomegranate syrup really added to the balance of the dish as it gave it some sourness
Overall I would recommend this place but don't expect to be taken in a new food experience. However my Persian friend was impressed with the food as it was quite similar to the food they eat back home.
Food - 3/5
Recommendations - Fesenjaan or baqali polo
Wow, this was a great stop. Of course, if you happen to be dining here with friends who are familiar with Iran and Persian cuisine more generally, it's even cooler. For example, one of my dining companions who was from Iran commented to the chef about the fine details of preparing fesenjaan (he preferred it cooked for hours and hours) while I just ate everything placed before me with the revelatory gusto of someone whose only other Central Asian eating experience was at the famous Helmand, a Karzai family-owned, Afghani restaurant in Mount Vernon, Baltimore (there is one in Boston, too). I ordered the lamb and had some great Shiraz as an accompaniment, then sipped an orange-scented tea with my desert. Superb.
Listed in: O Canada ...
I came here with my boyfriend on a Saturday night and made reservations earlier in the day. This is a small restaurant that fills up fast so I would definitely make reservations before coming here.
The restaurant is cozy and the servers are very friendly. The price range is moderate, with entrees running from $12 - $18. You can see the full menu on their website: http://www.pomegranate...
The Food:
Main Course
Me: morasa polo - LOVED IT
I really enjoyed my morasa polo, which is braised lamb shank and saffron rice that has slivers of seville orange peel, almond and pistachio with diced carrots and barberries. The lamb was tender and fell off the bone. The rice was delicious - premium basmati rice that was both salty and sweet with the addition of the orange peel and nuts. Yum!!
Bf: fesenjaan with lamb - LOVED IT
He actually tried to order the qeymeh at first but they were out of it. Not sure how often this happens - this was fairly early on a Saturday night (7pm) so we were a bit surprised that they were out already. But the waiter then recommended fesenjaan as one of their specialties and my boyfriend really enjoyed it. The dish normally comes with chicken breast, but my boyfriend had his heart set on lamb and asked if the dish could be served with that instead. The waiter checked and was able to accommodate us - yay! That definitely scored service points in our books. The waiter actually told us that fesenjaan used to be served with lamb before, but they no longer offer that on the menu, but if you ask for it, you can still get it, so good to know! The walnut pomegranate paste was really different. I thought it was alright, but my boyfriend really liked it. So much that he mentioned it again at dinner tonight (at Pomegranate's little sister restaurant next door) how much he liked it. That doesn't happen often!
Dessert - Ice cream and Mint tea - LOVED IT
The ice cream is homemade honey rosewater ice cream and it was really good. The flavours are very subtle and not too sweet, which my boyfriend really liked. The mint tea was simply fresh mint leaves steeped in water, but it was enough to give off a minty taste.
Overall, we really like this restaurant, for the friendly, accommodating service, generous portion size, moderate price and awesome food!
Lastly, I must tell you the highlight of the evening - I spotted Rachel McAdams dining there!! You can add celebrity hotspot as part of its positives.
I rarely give 5 stars, but Pomegranate restaurant deserves it heartily. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a cozy, intimate restaurant with great lamb dishes and yogurt dips.
A solid cozy authentic Persian restaurant, this place specializes on the stew type Iranian foods as opposed to the most common kebab type Persian places. Their food is authentically made (and most are healthy!) and I love the cultured atmosphere inside the restaurant. The food is a bit pricey but is definitely worth it as you really cannot have it anywhere else!!
I usually tend to say what the must haves are of each restaurant I go to but I love everything they serve and if you want to know what regular daily authentic Iranian food is like, then definitely try this place out.
Just make sure to have a cup of tea with sweets to seriously relax yourself after an enjoyable dinner.
initially attracted by the name of the restaurant... since pomegranate is one of my favorite fruits :) .... found out it was actually persian (iranian) cuisine instead... and the best and most original ive been to!
tried their "zeitoon parvardeh" as an appetizer, which was basically a dip of finely shopped green olives, pomegranate, walnuts and garlic.. ...delicious! and for only $3.50!
as the entree i went for the the "morasa polo", which consisted of a very generous portion of saffron rice with orange peel, almonds, pistachio, diced carrots and barberries with a perfectly tender braised lamb shank and a side of greens salad. it was heavenly! and went for $15.
i was lucky to find seats right away as we walked in... however note this restaurant primarily takes reservations, so make sure u call ahead especially if u come on a weekend.
if you like Persian food or any kind of middle eastern food you will love this place. It is a small restaurant, not too many seatings, but very nicely decorated and wonderful service. the food is really tasty. I love the eggplants and the lamp. to be very honest, everything we tasted was very good. very casual so dont dress up
Toronto, ON
Toronto, ON
Toronto, ON
Toronto, ON
North York, ON
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